Art of obtaining volatile liquids from gases



i L. F. BAYER.

ART 0F OBTAINING VOLATILE LIQUDS FROM GASES. APPLICATION FILED0011111917.

1,351,151, A Patenmug. 31,1920.

RECEIVER. f

COMPRESSOR LLOYD FELCH BAYER, OF TULSA, OKLAHMA.

ART OF OBTAINING VOLA'ILILE` LIQUIDS FRM GASES.

isaiasi.

Application led October 11, 1917.

l act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the art `of obtaining volatileliquid from gases, the new method or process being particularly adaptedfor use in separating gasolene from natural gas, or casing-head gas; butit can also be followed in treating gases resulting from thedistillation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

One of the objects of the invention is to increase the production ofgasolene by recovering from gases, a large percentage of volatilefractions that cannot be liquified and retained in a liquid state byfollowing the ordinary methods. A further object is to obtain thisresult in a simple and absolutely practicable manner, so that thegreatly increased yield of volatile liquid can be obtained commercially,on a large scale, and at a reasonable cost.

At ordinary atmospheric temperatures, some of the constituents ofhydrocarbon gases may be liquefied by confining the gas under a highpressure. lf the gas is reduced to a very low temperature, some of its.constituents will liquefy, or condense, under atmospheric pressure. The ideal condition is reached by the use of high pressures and lowtemperatures. These facts have been more or less generally recognizedprior to the present invention. However, in so far as l am aware, theyhave not taught the public how to devise a commercially practicablemethod of recovering the maximum quantity of liquid from hydrocarbongases. Merely conning the gas under high pressure and at a lowtemperature, produces desirable results, and this is contemplated in thepresent invention, but to obtain a more satisfactory solution of theproblem, l accomplish this in a particular manner, and at the same timesubject the gas to other conditions, so as to more effectively retainthe volatile hydrocarbons in a liquid state.

ln the preferred form of the invention Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 31, 1920..

serial no. 196,005.

the gas is compressed, if it is not already under the desired pressure,and forced into a chamber where it commingles with a hydrocarbon oil.The contents of this chamber are maintained under pressure. l preferablyobtain the desired low temperature by refrigerating brine, or otherfluid, and commingling the refrigerated fluid with the gas and oil. Thetemperature of the gas and oil is thus very effectively reduced bydirect contact with the refrigerated fluid, and as a result, anunusually large percentage of the volatile liquid is recovered from thegas. rlhis volatile liquid blends with the hydrocarbon oil to producegasolene, or the like, and the blended hydrocarbons are afterwardseparated from the refrigerated liquid.

The drawing is a diagrammatical view of an apparatus adapted for use incarrying out the new method.

To illustrate the invention I have shown an ordinary refrigerating plantcomprising an evaporator A, an ammonia compressor B, and ammoniacondenser C, and a liquid ammonia receiver D. The liquid ammonia, undera high pressure, is forced from the receiver D, through a pipe 1 andexpansion valve 2 to the evaporator The pressure of the ammonia passingthrough the expansion valve 2, is suddenly reduced, and as aconsequence, the ammonia expands and evaporates in the evaporator A,therebyI absorbing heat from the adjacent bodies and greatly reducingtheir temperature as is well understood in this art. The gaseous ammoniais conducted from the evaporator, through a pipe 3 to the compressor B,whereby it is compressed and forced through a pipe 4, to the condenserC. The liquid ammonia flowing from the condenser, passes through a pipe6 to the receiver D.

A brine conductor 7 surrounded by the evaporator A is cooled by theexpansion and evaporation of the ammonia. Although l have shown aconventional diagram of a refrigerating apparatus involving the use ofammonia and brine, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to any particular method of refrigeration, nor to the use of anyparticular fluid in the refrigeratin apparatus.

owever, preferably use brine, or other liquid, having a freezing pointbelow that of water, and l also prefer to vuse a llquld of this kindhaving a density different from the blended hydrocarbons, so that therefrigerating liquid can be veasily separated from the hydrocarbonproduct.

E designates a cooling chamber provided with a screen 8 supporting alarge number of small pieces of material 9, such for example, as coke,rocks or wooden slats, the object being to produce a multitude ofirregular baflies andi passageways in the cooling chamber. rll`herefrigerated brine passing from the4 brine conductor 7 flows through apipe 10 to a discharge device 11 in the cooling chamber. rlhe chilledbrine is thus showered onto the top of the baffle members 9 in thecooling chamber. An oil conductor 12, extending from an oil pump 13 tothe interior of the cooling chamber, is provided with a discharge device14 for the discharge of streams of hydrocarbon oil onto the balilemembers 9. 15 designates a gas compressor whereby the gas, when notalready under suilicient pressure, is compressed and forced through acooling coil 15 provided with a pipe 16 leadingV to the lower portion ofthe cooling chamber. The liquid condensing at the temperature in thecoil 15 is withdrawn through a pipe 16 before the gas is subjected tothe further cooling in the cooling chamber. 'llhe gas entering thecooling chamber below .the baffles 9, rises between said baffles whereit commingles with the line streams, or films of hydrocarbon oil andbrine, which fall slowly to the bottom of the cooling chamber. 17designates a pipe through which the uncondensed gas is dischar ed fromthe upper portion of the chamber rllhe contents of this chamber E arepreferably maintained under a high pressure which may be regulated byadjusting a valve 18 in the pipe 17.

Gas already under pressure, either derived from its natural source orfrom its mechanical production at some other point, may be conducteddirectly to the cooling apparatus and introduced without compressioninto the cooling chamber in the man-- ner already described.

By commingling the refrigerated brine with thehydrocarbon oil and gas,under pressure, as herein shown, the temperature of the oil and gas isvery greatly reduced by direct contact with the cool brine, and a verylarge volume of volatile liquid is recovered from the gas. Owing to thepressure and low temperature, a large percentage of the gas is condensedin the cooling chamber, and this condensate blends with the hydrocarbonoil. In the manufacture of b ended gasolene, a petroleum distillate isdischarged through the pipe l2, and the blended product, mixed with thebrine, passes through a pipe 19 to the separator 20. The brine settlesin the lower portion of the separator and passes out through a pipe 21,while the gasolene, being lighter than the malati brine accumulates at ahigher elevation and escapes through a pipe 22, to an accumulator 23,from which it may be discharged through a pipe 24 provided with a valve25. A pressure equalizing pipe 26 leads from the top of the chamber Etothe top of the separator 20, and this pipe is provided with branches 27leading to the top of the accumulator 23 to the top of the liquid sealX, and to the top of the brine receiver 28. The pressure in the coolingchamber E, separator 20, accumulator 23, the liquid seal and the brinereceiver are equalized, and all of these parts are preferably maintainedunder a high pressure.

Although any desired pressures and temperatures may be maintained in thesystem, l will'state by way of example that desirable results incasinghead gasolene extraction where the gas is a residue from acompression plant may be obtained by cooling the brine to a temperatureof about 2OO F., and maintaining the contents of the cooling chamberunder a pressure of about 250 pounds per square inch. lt is to beunderstood, however, that the invention is not in any way limited to aparticular pressure, nor to a particular temperature.

llt should'be noted that in this process the gas is cooled to a lowtemperature and the condensate is blended with a hydrocarbon oil. It isnot an ordinary absorption process, in which constituents of the gas aredissolved or absorbed in a relatively large quantity of oil, from whichthe dissolved or absorbed fractions are usually subsequently separatedby distilling. In this cooling process I preferably introduce onlysufficient hydrocarbon oil to make a-stable product of the desiredgravity. l

rllhe brine passing from the separator 20, flows through a pipe 21 to abrine receiver 28, from which it is conducted through a pipe 29 to apump 30, the latter serving as means for forcing the brine through areturn conductor 31, to the brine pipe 7 in the evaporator A. rlhe brinepassing from the separator 20 accumulates in the pi e 21 so as to form aliquid seal,l this liquid eing permitted to overflow at X and pass tothe re ceiver 28.

rllhe preferred form of the method or process herein disclosed involvesthe use of a refrigerating fluid, a hydrocarbon gas and a hydrocarbonliquid, each coperating with the others in a particular manner toincrease the production of gasolene, or the like. It is a decidedadvantage to bring the refrigerating fluid into direct contact with thegas, but this alone would not accomplish the desired results. Thetemperature of the gas is reduced in an economical manner by directcontact with the refrigerating liquid, and a further advantage is gainedby maintaining both of these fluids under a high lll@ bons condensedfrom the gas will unite with the less volatile hydrocarbon liquid,instead of passing away freely in the form of gas under atmospherictemperatureI and pressure. By the preferred form of the inven-v tion Irecover, in a commercially practicable manner, a large volume ofvolatile hydrocarbons which would otherwise remain in a gaseous state,and at the same time avoid losses by blending the volatile product witha hydrocarbon liquid to produce blended gasolene, or the'like.

The volume of refrigerated liquid passing into the cooling chamber in agiven period is preferably much greater than the volume of hydrocarbonoil introduced in the same period. The process'of'refrigeration is thusutilized most effectively by bringing the oil and gas into contact witha large volume of the very cold liquid. It will also be noted that theliquid used as a refrigerating agent can be readilyseparated from theblended hydrocarbons and returned to the refrigerating apparatus.

In some few cases, it may be possible that suici'ent blending materialwill be required so that this hydrocarbon liquid can itself berefrigerated and used as both the cooling and blending agent. However,inmost cases, the quantity of this hydrocarbon liquid is so small incomparison to the quanl tity of gas to be refrigerated that the initialtemperature of the hydrocarbon liquid would be far below practicabletemperature.

I claim v 1. In the art of treating hydrocarbons,

the method of obtaining volatile hydrocarbon liquid from gas, saidmethod compris-l ing commingling the gas with a hydrocarx bon oil,coniining said gas and hydrocarbon oil under pressure, at the same timearticially refrigerating another `liquid and commingling therefrlgerating liquid with the oil and gas, so as to refrigerate the oiland gas under pressure, thereby condensing volatile constituents of thegas and blending such condensate with the oil, and thereafter separatingthe refrigerating liquid from the blended hydrocarbons.

` 2. In the art of making blended gasolene, the method which comprisesrefrigerating a liquid and commingling it with a hydrocarbon liquid withwhich lighter hydrocarbons will blend under pressure, at the same timecommingling hydrocarbon gas under pressure, with the refrigerated liquidand the hydrocarbon liquid, so as to condense volatile constituents ofthe gas and blend them with `Said hydrocarbon liquid, conducting theuncondensed gas from the blended hydrocarbons, and separating saidblended hydrocarbons from said refrigerating liquid.

A3. In the art of making blended gasolene, the method which comprisesconducting brine through an artificial refrigerating cooler so as torefrigerate the brine, forcing the refrigerated brine into a coolingcham ber, forcing a hydrocarbon distillate into the cooling chamber,compressing natural lgas and commingling it, under pressure,

with the refrigerated brine and hydrocarbon distillate in said coolingchamber, so as to blend constituents of the natural gas with thehydrocarbon distillate, conducting the brine and blended hydrocarbonsaway from the cooling chamber, separating the blended hydrocarbons fromthe brine, and returning thebrine to said refrigerating cooler.

4In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto aix my signature.

" LLOYD FELCH BAYER.

